Scottish Executive

Asbestos

Alex Johnstone (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to newly-published scientific advice, for example that by Professor Fred Pooley of Cardiff University, that indicates that white asbestos and artex plaster are not as harmful as blue or brown asbestos.

Lewis Macdonald: I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-9032 on 28 June 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search.

Child Care

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-8420 by Euan Robson on 4 June 2004, what level of funding it provided for Children in Scotland’s "Growing up in Rural Scotland" programme in 2001 and what subsequent funding has been allocated to this project since that date.

Euan Robson: The allocated funding from the Scottish Executive for this project in 2001 and subsequently has been:

  From 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2003: £53,333.

  From 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2004: £26,667.

  From 1 April 2004 to 31 March 2005: £27,334.

Child Care

Susan Deacon (Edinburgh East and Musselburgh) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the membership will be of the group established to undertake the review of the early years and child care workforce and how members of the group will be appointed.

Peter Peacock: The first meeting of the Steering Group of the Review of the Early Years and Childcare Workforce took place on 2 July 2004. Most members were appointed by inviting stakeholder organisations to nominate a representative. Others were invited in their own right as they will bring particular expertise to the work of the steering group. The membership of the steering group is:

  

 Susan Bain
 Association of Quality Nurseries 
  Scotland


 Carol Ball
 UNISON


 Joan Beattie
 SkillsActive


 Fiona Bennett
 Barnardo’s Hazelgrove Service


 Bronwen Cohen
 Children in Scotland


 Cllr Charles Gray
 North Lanarkshire Council


 Peter Hay
 Aberdeenshire Council


 Patricia McGinty
 Scottish Independent Nurseries 
  Association


 Rosemary Milne
 One Stop Childcare


 Jane Polglase
 Association of Scottish 
  Colleges


 Eleanor Pollock
 St Eunan’s Early Education 
  & Childcare Centre, Clydebank


 Christine Riach
 Dundee City Council Education 
  Department


 Neil Robertson
 Scottish Qualifications 
  Authority


 Frances Scott
 Scottish Social Services 
  Council


 Barbara Thomas
 Aberdeen Childcare Partnership.

Health

Susan Deacon (Edinburgh East and Musselburgh) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what arrangements are in place to monitor the implementation of National Guidance on Managing Head Lice Infection in Children .

Susan Deacon (Edinburgh East and Musselburgh) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what arrangements are in place to evaluate the effectiveness of National Guidance on Managing Head Lice Infection in Children .

Malcolm Chisholm: We plan to write to NHS boards and local authorities next year, two years after publication of the National Guidance on Managing Head Lice Infection in Children , to monitor implementation of the guidance.

  In the meantime, we intend to write to education authorities in August 2004, reminding them that schools, working with their school nurse, should provide parents and carers with regular information about the detection and treatment of head lice infection in a proactive way, as recommended on page 7 of the guidance at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/health/ngmh-00.asp.

Health

Susan Deacon (Edinburgh East and Musselburgh) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to obtain feedback from schools, health professionals and parents on National Guidance on Managing Head Lice Infection in Children and on its Head Lice Information for Parents leaflet.

Malcolm Chisholm: We undertook a full consultation in the development of the National Guidance on Managing Head Lice Infection in Children and we have received feedback from schools, health professionals and parents since publication of the guidance.

  NHS Health Scotland consulted with parent focus groups in developing the Head Lice Information for Parents leaflet and have received feedback from Directors of Education since publication of the leaflet.

Health

Susan Deacon (Edinburgh East and Musselburgh) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in addition to the leaflet Head Lice Information for Parents , it has any plans to support further promotional materials or campaigns to raise awareness of the prevention and treatment of head lice infection.

Malcolm Chisholm: Neither the Executive nor NHS Health Scotland have any plans to support further promotional materials or campaigns to raise awareness on the prevention and treatment of head lice infection at present.

Health

Susan Deacon (Edinburgh East and Musselburgh) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to encourage a "whole school" approach, where all parents check their children and family members on the same evening and treat them as necessary, as suggested in the Department of Health guidance, The prevention and treatment of head lice .

Malcolm Chisholm: The Department of Health leaflet for parents on the prevention and treatment of head lice suggests a whole school approach, and it would be for individual schools to decide whether they wanted to promote a whole school approach.

  The National Guidance on Managing Head Lice Infection in Children states that schools, working with their school nurse, should provide parents and carers with information about the detection and treatment of head lice infection in a proactive and systematic way. Both the National Guidance and Head Lice Information for Parents leaflet advise that all family members should be checked if live lice are found in one member of the family.

Health

Susan Deacon (Edinburgh East and Musselburgh) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to encourage NHS boards and education authorities to distribute "bug buster" kits to tackle head lice infection.

Malcolm Chisholm: The National Guidance on Managing Head Lice Infection in Children and the Head Lice Information for Parents leaflet both advise that "bug buster" kits are available on prescription and are therefore freely available to all children.

  We have no plans to encourage NHS boards and local authorities to distribute "bug buster" kits at present. However, we will consider if this is appropriate after we have received progress reports on implementation of the national guidance from NHS boards and local authorities in 2005.

Health

Susan Deacon (Edinburgh East and Musselburgh) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps schools are taking to raise awareness of the prevention and treatment of head lice infection, in light of the advice contained in National Guidance on Managing Head Lice Infection in Children , which recommends that alert letters are no longer issued to parents.

Malcolm Chisholm: We do not hold this information, but the National Guidance on Managing Head Lice Infection in Children recommends that schools, working with their school nurse, should provide parents with information about the detection and treatment of head lice infection in a proactive and systematic way, for example, at the start of every new term as well as at any point in the school year when a general problem has been identified. Monthly reminders or "flyers" can be sent home from school, informing families about detection through "wet combing" and reminding parents of their responsibility to check their children’s hair for head lice at least once a week.

  Some schools organise workshops for parents and hold awareness weeks to educate both children and parents to check for head lice at home on a weekly basis using the wet combing/bug busting method.

Historic Buildings

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has considered using existing reports and studies obtained by the owners of Castle Tioram in relation to the building’s structure, history and culture.

Mr Frank McAveety: I have asked Graeme Munro, Chief Executive of Historic Scotland to reply. His response is as follows:

  Existing reports and studies obtained by the owners of Castle Tioram into the monument’s structure, history and culture were considered by the Inquiry Reporter at the Public Local Inquiry held in 2001 into the owners' application for scheduled monument consent (SMC) to restore the Castle. In his report to scottish ministers recommending that SMC be refused, the reporter identified gaps in understanding in the Statement of Cultural Significance obtained by the owners. Historic Scotland is commissioning the preparation of a full Statement of the Cultural Significance of Castle which will address those gaps. This will inform consideration of any future applications for SMC.

Holyrood Project

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether all written reports by the Chief Executive of the Crown Office and the Procurator Fiscal Service and Head of Legal and Parliamentary Services to it, including to the First Minister, the former Minister for Parliament and the Minister for Parliamentary Business, have been provided to the Holyrood Inquiry; if so, whether the chief executive has provided no such written reports since the 15 August 2003, the date of the last report to be published on the inquiry's website, and if any such written reports have not been provided to the inquiry so far, whether they will now be provided.

Patricia Ferguson: The Executive has adopted the normal practice of providing papers up to the point at which an inquiry begins. The Executive has therefore provided copies of those reports made before 1 September 2003, the date on which Lord Fraser received his formal letter of appointment and terms of reference.

Holyrood Project

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any (a) written or (b) oral report was made to any of its ministers, including the First Minister, by the Chief Executive of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and Head of Legal and Parliamentary Services in March 2002 regarding meetings and discussions of the Holyrood Progress Group.

Patricia Ferguson: There is no record of any such written or oral report having been made to ministers in March 2002.

NHS Staff

Mr Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to the motion tabled by the Scottish Council to the annual representatives’ meeting of the British Medical Association that condemns "chronic failure" in ensuring that the NHS is properly staffed and demands urgent action.

Malcolm Chisholm: I have received no direct approach from the BMA regarding the motion.

  The Scottish Health Workforce Plan 2004 Baseline makes clear that responsibilities lie with NHS boards and regional structures to produce integrated workforce plans in March each year with key stakeholders in local authorities, education providers and others. The plan also refers to the need to address staffing consequences of the New Deal for Junior Doctors and the Working Time Directive by forging new roles for multi-disciplinary teams, in a climate where the Modernising Medical Careers reforms will introduce more structured training pathways for the medical workforce. Numbers of NHS staff increased by over 5,000 in the year to September 2003 and they will continue to do so as we work to build capacity and tackle pressures on the workforce.

  Securing Future Practice, the Temple Report on the medical workforce published this month, also makes a number of recommendations about the need to secure the future medical workforce as service redesign work is taken forward. The Executive has accepted the report’s recommendations in full and is currently seeking comments from interested parties on both the report and its response.

  The National Workforce Committee is providing leadership on the workforce development agenda and has made it possible for the first time to take a comprehensive overview of the health workforce. The committee will be assisted by the new Workforce Numbers Group (WoNuG), which will advise on workforce numbers and modelling across all staff groups and make recommendations on the future size and shape of the workforce in a sensible and pragmatic way.

Public Appointments

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria were applied in relation to the reappointment of Alan Sutherland as Water Industry Commissioner for Scotland.

Ross Finnie: The Water Industry Commissioner (WIC) re-appointment falls within the remit of the Commissioner for Public Appointments. The Commissioner’s Code of Practice allows for first reappointments (i.e. a second term of office in the same role) to be made without open competition, provided a formal assessment has been carried out which confirms satisfactory performance during the first term of office.

  A formal appraisal of the WIC was carried out by the Executive. This report allowed ministers to consider Mr Sutherland for reappointment.

Rail Network

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S20-2049 by Nicol Stephen on 22 April 2004, what train services will be accommodated by the additional four train paths per hour at Waverley Station in addition to the Bathgate to Airdrie line and the Waverley line.

Nicol Stephen: The Executive is committed in the long term to delivering improved services over the lifetime of the new franchise. In addition to Airdrie to Bathgate, the redevelopment of Waverley Station will provide additional capacity, for example, to accommodate new Fife services following the opening of the Stirling to Alloa to Kincardine line. It will also improve the reliability of the existing timetabled services.

Schools

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Minster for Education and Young People will reply to my letter of 24 July 2003 regarding St. Ninians School.

Peter Peacock: I wrote to the member on 30 June 2004.

Schools

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will provide a substantive answer to question S2W-3406, lodged on 10 October 2003, regarding St Ninians School.

Peter Peacock: I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-3406 on 5 July 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search.

Scottish Natural Heritage

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive,  further to the answer to question S2W-9052 by Allan Wilson on 28 June 2004, whether the cost of the Scottish Natural Heritage headquarters is an operational matter for Scottish Natural Heritage and, if not, what the cost of the building is estimated to be and whether the costs will be met from public funds.

Allan Wilson: Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) is responsible for planning and implementing the relocation of its Edinburgh headquarters to Inverness. SNH submitted a project plan covering all aspects of the relocation which ministers accepted as a basis for SNH to develop their tender specification for the new HQ building. SNH issued invitations to tender on 11 June and the budget for procurement of the accommodation will be set after the tenders have been received and evaluated. The costs of the relocation will be funded by additional grant-in-aid from the Scottish Executive.